This Day in History Class

On this day in 1946, six inmates at Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary carried out the most violent escape attempt in the prison’s history. 

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On this day in 1840, the introduction of the Penny Black postage stamp revolutionized the British postal system. 

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On this day in 1952, Mr. Potato Head became the first toy to be advertised on television.

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On this day in 1945, the world famous Peace rose was introduced to gardeners at a special ceremony in Pasadena, California. 

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On this day in 1941, the Chicago Cubs became the first Major League team to have live organ music performed at a ballgame.

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On this day in 1901, New York became the first state in the U.S. to require license plates on motor vehicles.

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On this day in 1982, American actress Jane Fonda released her first exercise video, “Jane Fonda’s Workout.”

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On this day in 1963, white civil rights activist William Moore was shot to death at a highway rest stop in Alabama.

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On this day in 1878, the White House hosted its first official Easter Egg Roll. 

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On this day in 1782, the Dutch Republic became the second nation to officially recognize the sovereignty of the United States.

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On this day in 1906, a powerful earthquake devastated San Francisco, California.

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On this day in 1942, French General Henri Giraud made a daring escape from a Nazi stronghold in Saxony, Germany. 

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On this day in 1972, giant pandas Ling-Ling and Hsing-Hsing moved into their new home at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo.

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On this day in 1817, America’s first permanent school for deaf children opened in Hartford, Connecticut.

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Please enjoy these April 12th flashbacks from the TDIHC vault, and we will see you soon for a brand new episode!

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Please enjoy these April 11th flashbacks from the TDIHC vault, and we will see you soon for a brand new episode!

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On this day in 1633, the banana made its British debut in the window of a London apothecary.   

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On this day in 1939, world-renowned Black opera singer Marian Anderson performed on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.

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On this day in 1986, actor and director Clint Eastwood was elected mayor of Carmel, California.

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On this day in 1945, Private First Class Sadao Munemori was killed in action near Seravezza, Italy.

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On this day in 1928, Maya Angelou was born Marguerite Johnson in St. Louis, Missouri. 

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On this day in 1996, FBI agents raided the remote Montana cabin of Theodore “Ted” Kaczynski.

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On this day in 1902, Thomas Lincoln Tally opened the first dedicated movie theater in Los Angeles.

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On this day in 1974, the residents of Sitka, Alaska, were fooled into thinking that a nearby volcano was erupting.

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On this day in 1848, an ice jam in Lake Erie caused Niagara Falls to slow to a trickle.  

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On this day in 1910, French amateur pilot Henri Fabre made the first successful seaplane flight.

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On this day in 1973, Native American activist Sacheen Littlefeather declined an Academy Award on behalf of Marlon Brando.

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On this day in 1885, Jeanette Pickersgill became the first person to be legally cremated in Britain.

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On this day in 1983, Michael Jackson performed the moonwalk for the first time at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in California. 

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On this day in 1972, the Equal Rights Amendment was passed by the U.S. Senate and sent to the states for ratification. 

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Please enjoy these March 21st flashbacks from the TDIHC vault, and we will see you soon for a brand new episode!

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On this day in 1985, Libby Riddles became the first woman to win the Iditarod Sled Dog Race.

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On this day in 1995, Michael Jordan announced his return to professional basketball by releasing a two-word statement: “I’m back.”

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On this day in 1966, the Scott Paper Company launched a promotion for disposable paper dresses. 

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On this day in 1960, the John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park was established as the first underwater nature preserve in the United States. 

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On this day in 1863, American folk hero Casey Jones was born in southeastern Missouri. 

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On this day in 1877, amateur inventor Chester Greenwood received a patent for his new and improved style of earmuffs.

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On this day in 1868, Prince Alfred of Edinburgh survived an attempt on his life during a visit to Sydney, Australia.

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On this day in 1961, Mattel introduced the Ken doll at the International Toy Fair in New York City. 

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On this day in 1917, the U.S. Senate adopted a rule that allowed a two-thirds majority to cut off debate and force a vote.

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On this day in 1955, American comedian Phyllis Diller made her professional debut at the Purple Onion nightclub in San Francisco. 

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On this day in 1876, Native American writer and activist Zitkála-Šá was born. 

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On this day in 1861, after losing a bet, Edward Payson Weston embarked on a 478-mile walk from Boston to Washington D.C.

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On Very Special Episodes, we tell one incredible story each week. Stranger-than-fiction tales about normal people in extraordinary situations. Stories that make you say, “this should be a movie.” Follow Dana Schwartz, Zaron Burnett, and Jason English down a different rabbit hole every Wednesday.

Listen here or on the iHeartRadio app. 

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On this day in 1942, thirty-three members of a Nazi spy ring headed by Frederick Joubert Duquesne were sentenced to serve time in prison.

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On this day in 1974, President Richard Nixon established a maximum speed limit of 55 miles per hour on every highway in the United States.

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On this day in 1818, Mary Shelley's debut novel, "Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus," was first published.

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On this day in 1959, musician Johnny Cash rang in the new year by performing live at San Quentin State Prison in California.

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